Noah's breath came in sharp gasps as his heart pounded against his ribs. The eyes in the darkness still watched him before everything went black. Then, he blinked and the next thing he knew, he was running. Or rather, he had already run. He stumbled, realizing that he and Lucas were no longer in that cursed clearing but deep in the Abyssal Forest.
Lucas, still clutching his sleeve with eyes wide with terror, stammered, "D...Did we teleport? ...What happened?"
Noah had no idea. One second, they were frozen and the next, they were here. Had the creature let them go, or had something else intervened? Shaking his head, Noah knew now wasn't the time to dwell on it. "How much time do we have left?" he asked.
Lucas checked the metal plate strapped to his wrist, the one all Iron Rank students had been given to track their survival time, and replied, "Uh… we have… ten hours left."
Noah exhaled heavily. They had already survived fourteen hours in this nightmare of a forest, which meant the end was in sight, but the last ten hours would be the hardest. Lucas stared at the timer, still in disbelief, asking, "How are we still alive?"
Noah didn't answer; he had been asking himself the same question.
…
Their surroundings were eerily quiet, but Noah had learned something important, the Abyssal Forest was never truly silent. The moment it went quiet, something terrible was coming.
Lucas, of course, hadn't figured that out yet. "This is great," Lucas said, stretching his arms with a nervous chuckle, "We're still in one piece. Maybe the worst is over."
Noah closed his eyes, Lucas had just doomed them. A rustling sound echoed from the trees, and Lucas froze. "Did you hear that?" he whispered.
Noah sighed, "Of course I did."
Suddenly, the bushes exploded, and a blur of scales and fangs lunged at them. Noah rolled aside, barely avoiding the snapping jaws of the creature, but Lucas was not so lucky.
He screamed as he was lifted off the ground, dangling upside down from the mouth of a six-foot-long Abyssal Serpent. Noah stared in shock while Lucas flailed wildly, yelling, "Help! Help! It's gonna swallow me!"
The serpent hissed and tightened its grip. Taking a deep breath, Noah analyzed the creature, it wasn't as strong as the hounds they had fought earlier, but it was fast. He grabbed a nearby rock and flung it at the serpent's head, but the rock bounced off harmlessly. Lucas groaned, "A rock? Really? That's your plan?!"
Ignoring him, Noah darted behind the serpent, grabbed its tail, and yanked. The creature lurched forward, and Lucas tumbled out of its jaws, landing face-first in the dirt. Noah didn't stop; he kicked the serpent in the head, sending It crashing into a tree. The creature let out a pained hiss before slithering away into the darkness.
Lucas sat up, spitting out dirt, and muttered, "I hate this forest."
Noah offered a hand and replied dryly, "Get used to it."
Lucas groaned, "You're way too calm about this," but Noah didn't answer, he was deep in thought. The trials were supposed to be hard, but this was more than that, first the Abyssal Hounds, then that monstrous shadow, and now an Abyssal Serpent? Something was wrong.
Then Noah saw it: etched into the bark of a nearby tree were deep, jagged claw marks, not from any beast but from a person. Stepping closer, he inspected the fresh grooves. Lucas peered over his shoulder, "Uh… what are you looking at?"
Noah turned to him quietly, "We're not alone."
Lucas blinked, "Well, yeah. There are a ton of things trying to kill us."
Noah shook his head, "Not beasts. People." Lucas paled, and before he could respond, another sound, a low whistle cutting through the air reached them.
Noah reacted instantly, ducking as a blade missed him by an inch and embedded itself in a tree.
Lucas screamed and fell backward, shouting. "We are under attack!"
Noah's eyes darted through the trees, scanning for the attacker, and a shadow moved in the branches before a cold, amused voice spoke. "You're sharp. Most wouldn't have dodged that." Tension filled the air as the figure stepped into the light, another Iron Rank student that Noah recognized instantly, Dante Vale. Dante smirked, "I've been watching you," while Lucas scrambled to his feet, muttering, "Oh, great. A stalker. Just what we needed."
Dante ignored Lucas, his eyes locked on Noah. "You're different. Stronger than you should be," he said, his smirk widening. "That's why I'm here." He raised a hand, and more figures emerged from the trees, six more students. Noah's stomach twisted with dread. This wasn't a coincidence, they had been hunting him.
Lucas let out a nervous laugh, "So… this isn't a friendly meeting, huh?"
Dante grinned, "Not quite." Then, with a snap of his fingers, all six students attacked at once.
…
Noah's instincts screamed at him as the six students closed in.
Lucas yelped and dove behind a tree, exclaiming, "I'm too handsome to die!"
Noah barely had time to roll his eyes before a sword sliced through the air where his head had been a second ago. He twisted, barely dodging as his foot caught on a root, and he stumbled just as a second attacker lunged. Dropping to the ground just in time, a dagger whistled past him. If he had been a fraction of a second slower, he would have been finished. With no time to think, he moved. He kicked out, catching the dagger-wielder's knee, and the boy grunted, staggering. Noah grabbed a fistful of dirt and flung it at the nearest attacker's face, eliciting a cry of pain.
Dante chuckled from a safe distance, "I expected you to struggle, but this is fun." Fun, right? Being hunted was hardly entertaining. Noah ducked another swing and darted behind a tree, needing a plan.
Lucas peeked out from behind his own tree, asking nervously, "So, uh… what's the strategy?"
Noah muttered, "Survive," to which Lucas replied with a shaky laugh, "Great. Love that."
A spear shot toward Noah's chest, and he twisted, barely avoiding it, though the sharp edge nicked his shoulder with a burning sting. Gritting his teeth, Noah knew one wound could slow him down.
Dante whistled, taunting, "Not bad, but how long can you keep this up?" Two more students closed in as if to answer.
Noah exhaled sharply and feinted left, making one of them react before he spun the other way, elbow smashing into the nearest attacker's ribs. The boy wheezed in pain and collapsed, but there were still five left.
Lucas, somehow managing to stay unharmed, raised a shaking hand, "Uhh, maybe we can talk about this? Share our lunch or something?" A sword nearly severed his head, and Lucas shrieked, hitting the ground and covering his head.
"Talking is overrated," Dante said, amused, "Violence is so much better." Noah was already on the move, ducking a punch, kicking out a leg, and sending another attacker sprawling. Two down, yet the remaining four circled him cautiously while Dante just watched, enjoying the show.
Noah's breathing grew heavy and his shoulder throbbed, and he knew if this fight went on much longer, he wouldn't last. Then, a flicker of movement appeared behind Dante, and Noah's mind raced, an idea formed in a desperate bid to stall and he smirked.
Dante's eyes narrowed. "Something funny?" Dante asked.
Noah shrugged and said, "Just wondering how it feels to hide behind six people." Dante's grip tightened, "You have no idea who you're talking to." At that moment, Dante stepped forward, "Fine. Let's see if you can handle me, " Before he could move, something exploded from the trees behind him, a blur of black and red, claws and teeth. An abyssal Beast, which had been stalking them and waiting, struck.
Dante barely had time to turn before the creature pounced. Chaos erupted. Students screamed as the beast roared and sank its fangs into one unlucky Iron Rank's shoulder, blood spraying everywhere. Dante snarled and kicked the beast off, but it was too late, the fight had turned into pure survival.
Noah grabbed Lucas by the collar and shouted, "Run!"
Lucas didn't argue. They bolted, weaving between trees as chaos unfolded behind them. Noah's heart pounded, and though he had no idea what that creature was, it had saved their lives for now , with less than ten hours left in this nightmare.